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Keep Your FIAT 500 Moving This Winter

Once upon on a time, the Alfa Romeo 164,FIAT Spider,Peugeot 505 and Renault Fuego roamed the American streets with their French and Italian charms. Then FIAT said "arrivederci" in 1983, Renaultbid us "adieu" in 1987, Peugeot was no longer available in America starting in 1991 and Alfa said "ciao" in 1995. Blandness had apparently won.

Well, FIAT has brought flavor back with the new 500. If you managed to snag one and live in an area that receives snow, your 500 isn't complete as it really needs a set of dedicated winter / snow tires. Given the vehicle's low curb weight, most 500 drivers should install Studless Ice and Snow tires on all four corners.

The 500 uses a direct TPMS that has the ability to automatically learn the electronic serial numbers of new sensors by simply driving the vehicle for 15 minutes at 15 mph or faster. TPMS sensors are reasonably priced at $39* each and installation is included with our free mount and balance.

Winter / Snow Tire & Wheel Package

For the 500, I like the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 for its great balance of ice grip and relatively good steering response. The 185/55-15 Michelin X-Ice Xi2 preserves a fair amount of the car's go-kart nature. As for wheels, the Sport Edition CE in either silver or bright satin would look great. The CE's bright satin finish is a shiny grey that goes well with the vehicle and while it may be a little hard to clean at times, a set would be a great complement to your new Michelin radial tires. This car wheel and tire combination is currently priced at $876*

1. Will the wheels listed for the Pop also fit the Sport? Yes, the relevant specifications are the same.

2. My 500 has a 4-98 bolt pattern, but Tire Rack sells both 4-98 and 4-100 wheels. How does the 4-100 wheel fit on the 4-98 vehicle? 4-100 wheels are compatible with 4-98 cars by using wobble bolts. Wobble bolts are bolts with floating seats. On the 500, each bolt seat moves slightly upward to accommodate the 4-100 bolt pattern. Since the wheel is centered on the hub by the wheel's centering ring, the wheel and tire assembly runs smoothly. Youmustuse the included wobble bolts.

3. Are there any special installation instructions? Yes, please remove the two locator pins that are on the hub. These locator pins are used solely during the assembly of the car and serve no other function. They will need to be removed so the wheel fits flush against the hub.

*Excludes shipping

Comments

Wednesday, October 10, 2012 byallen moulton
Just got my rims and tires - michelin 185/55r15. I was a bit concerned because the original wheel on my fiat 500 prima edizione was an odd size (195/45/r16), it's hard to find that size. The new rims and tires fit fine, I'm looking forward to seeing how they handle a Vermont winter. The handle nicely so far, not much different from the all season tires that came with the car.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012 bycy
Thank you, thanks for your feedback, have a great week and a safe winter.

Cy

Saturday, November 3, 2012 bysandro
are the centering rings on the car or do you have to buy them. i'm looking.g at some 4x100 wheels for winter

Monday, November 5, 2012 bycy
Most of our custom wheels have a center bore that's larger then the hub so centering rings are needed. We'll include centering rings at no additional cost if your wheel needs them.

Fiat 500's use a Direct valve-stem-mounted TPMS sensor so if you want your TPMS system to work you'll need to install TPMS sensors on your winter wheels regardless of your winter wheel size. See more on Direct TPMS sensors here: